For the Love of

Reading
Engaging Students in
a Lifelong Pursuit

By: Daniel T. Willingham

American Educator

Published on 2015

Introduction
 Instead of ignoring the issue or pointing the finger at digital technology as
the source of the problem, the book "For the Love of Reading: Engaging Students
in a Lifelong Pursuit" discusses how educators can help motivate unwilling
readers at school and home through the use of practices that are based on
research. These practices can be implemented both in the classroom and at
home. When students are given the motivation to read, they will have an
increased desire to read for pleasure. Students can be encouraged to read using
rewards, but research indicates that these methods may actually discourage
reading. An experiment done in a preschool serves as an illustration of this;
during free play, a set of attractive markers appeared, and the kids selected the
markers from a variety of activities.

Children were brought into a separate room by researchers and asked to

draw with markers in exchange for a "good player" certificate. After a few weeks,
the markers reappeared in the classroom during unstructured playtime, and the
kids who had earned the certificate were noticeably less interested in the
markers than the kids who had not. The study's interpretation is based on how
children perceive their own behavior, and rewards can backfire if a child has a
positive reading experience that overpowers their belief that they are reading
solely for the benefit of receiving a reward. Praise instead of a reward can be
energizing and inspiring, but it can backfire if it's overbearing or deceitful. As it
is spontaneous and doesn't promise praise in exchange for good behavior, it
lacks the drawback of rewards. Additionally, praise is spontaneous because the
child receiving it acts in the desired manner of her own volition. The issue is that
before the praise can be given, the child must decide to read on her own.

Academic versus pleasure reading is not about academic achievement, but

rather about the emotions evoked by a book or story. By devoting some class
time to silent pleasure reading, schools and teachers can work to make reading
expected and normal.There is growing concern among parents that the use of
digital devices is having a disadvantageous effect on students' reading habits and
encouraging them to engage in activities other than reading.Reading requires a
significant amount of concentration, and many educators and researchers
believe that regularly reading on the internet can negatively impact a person's
capacity for in-depth reading. Additionally, digital technologies can have an
effect because they have the potential to alter expectations and result in attention
spans that are both shorter and less robust.

After statistically controlling for a variety of other factors, researchers

have found correlations between the amount of time spent reading and the
amount of time spent on the internet. This suggests that when a new activity
becomes available, we replace something else that we have typically done with it
in order to participate in the new activity.

Reading is an activity that can be encouraged in children by their parents

through the provision of books that appear to be entertaining, the purchase of
books, the downloading of books from websites, and the actual provision of
books. They can also inform their children on content that they believe their
children would enjoy, but it would be more beneficial for pupils to hear these
things from other students in their class. The relationships that parents have
with their children should enable them to attract their children's attention and
urge them to read.Because they are the ones who instruct children on how to be
successful in life, teachers are absolutely necessary for the growth and
development of children. Reading is an important skill that children need to
develop in order to become good communicators in everyday life. Instruction in
reading that is direct and explicit, that increases student mastery through
scaffolded instruction, and that integrates universal design for learning
principles is one way in which teachers encourage the development of reading
abilities in their students.

METHODOLOGY

A number of studies and polls are used throughout this article to illustrate
the many factors that have an impact on reading. There is sufficient evidence to
back every one of these claims, including a number of publications and studies
examining different aspects of how to foster a love of reading. In addition to that,
it offers information in the form of textbooks, websites, magazines, and fictitious
accounts of situations that occur in real life. The author ensured that the
information would be easily understood by the audience by providing a
comprehensive description of the evidence that backed the information that was
crucial to prove. Despite its length, the piece manages to address all of the
concerns raised by the readers.

REVIEW

The author of this piece highlights the significance of reading and the ways in
which it may help us develop into more well-rounded individuals. It is nicely
written and explained, and its knowledge expands from the primary active
surveys, and literature. The information that is offered has been polished and
updated, and the particulars that are contained in each component are helpful.
Also, the maintenance that has been performed on the provided content.
Because it illustrates how important reading is and how many different ways
there are to learn and become engaged in the subject that is offered here, this
article may be helpful to students as well as prospective teachers. This is
because it displays how vital reading is. The author makes the claim that the
more we read, the more things we will know, and that even the smallest acts we
take while reading can pave the way for larger and greater opportunities in the
future. This argument is supported by the premise that the more we read, the
more things we will know that can help us to promote the love for reading .

PERSONAL ASSESSMENT

We and our students can improve our reading abilities as well as our whole life
perspective by reading this article because it is well written and entertaining.
They can gain more knowledge and wisdom that can help in any situation in life.
In addition to this, it underlines that incentives should be supplied in an
acceptable manner and free of charge, and that there are many different ways to
acquire reading skills. It is not a bad thing to limit ourselves as long as we benefit
and learn from doing so, and what I learned may be applied in my day-to-day life
to support my development not only as a student but also as a teacher for future
generations. Limiting ourselves is not a negative thing to do as long as we learn
and benefit from doing so. Like in reading we need to develop a habit of reading.
It is not required but it encourages us to do so.

CONCLUSION

Reading should be a regular part of everyone's routine since it enables

individuals to learn new information and introduces individuals to a whole new
world full of ideas, tales, and chances. It is a fundamental component of learning,
and its development should be a focus in the lives of all people. Reading has been
a wellspring of not only information but also enjoyment, pleasure, and even
personal integrity. Reading is something that we may utilize everywhere and at
any time; it has the potential to bring both joy and success, and a life devoid of
reading is a miserable one. As a result, I have arrived at the conclusion that the
worth of reading is the value of knowledge gained by wisdom.